Meeting: September 8, 2026
1 16 ITEM BY MAYOR CAROLINE TOROSIS AND COUNCILMEMBERS DAN HALL 2 AND BARRY SNELL
3 Request of Mayor Torosis and Councilmembers Hall and Snell that Council take 4 formal ENDORSE positions on state Propositions 1, 3, and 37 and OPPOSE 5 positions on Propositions 39 and 43.
6 Five particular measures on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot have a direct 7 impact to Santa Monica policies, programs, or longstanding civic values and we feel 8 compelled to request Council take a formal stance on each:
9 Proposition 1, authorizes $11.25 billion in general obligation bonds for housing 10 affordability programs, including $1.25 billion for the state veteran home loan program, 11 $7.2 billion for affordable multifamily rental housing, $1.1 billion for homeownership 12 assistance, $500 million for infrastructure projects, such as water, sewage, parks, and 13 transportation, and $200 million for local pilot programs that cities and counties may 14 access directly to reduce housing costs. These are some of the state funds that Santa 15 Monica's affordable housing pipeline competes for.
16 Proposition 3, provides permanent funding for schools and health care by extending 17 existing tax rates on high incomes above $361,000 annually which are scheduled to 18 expire. The measure is estimated to generate between $5 billion and $15 billion annually, 19 with 89 percent of revenue allocated to K-12 schools and 11 percent to community 20 colleges.
21 Proposition 37, creates a loan program for middle-income buyers of qualified new 22 homes. It authorizes up to $25 billion in revenue bonds to fund down payment assistance 23 loans for first-time middle-income buyers of qualified newly constructed homes, covering 24 up to 17 percent of an eligible home’s purchase price. 25 Proposition 39, prohibits citizens from voting unless they present government-issued 26 identification. It also requires vote-by-mail voters to supply the last four digits of the voter's 27 selected government-issued identification number on the ballot return envelope, and 28 requires state and local election officials to make best efforts, using government data, to 29 verify that registered voters are U.S. citizens.
30 Proposition 43, limits voters’ ability to raise revenues for local government services. 31 Beginning January 1, 2027, it requires a two-thirds vote for approval of any new, 32 increased, or extended local special tax placed on the ballot by voter initiative, replacing 33 the simple majority threshold that currently applies to voter-proposed special taxes. 34 2022’s Measure GS was a citizens initiative special tax approved under the threshold this 16 ITEM BY MAYOR TOROSIS AND COUNCILMEMBERS HALL AND SNELL Taking Formal Positions on Several State Propositions
35 measure would replace, and the change would narrow the Santa Monica community's 36 remaining revenue options at a time of declared fiscal distress. 37 WE THEREFORE MOVE THAT THE COUNCIL:
38 1. Adopt an ENDORSE position for the following statewide propositions:
39 1.1. Proposition 1
40 1.2. Proposition 3
41 1.3. Proposition 37
42 2. Adopt an OPPOSE position for the following statewide propositions:
43 2.1. Proposition 39
44 2.2. Proposition 43
45 # # #